


The Cowardly Lion

by Turtlesandtimelords



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista!Sansa, Cersei and Jaime Are Not Related, F/M, Minor Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister, Prisoner of War, Soldier!Jaime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 19:24:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14817413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turtlesandtimelords/pseuds/Turtlesandtimelords
Summary: "I never thought someone who would put his life on the line for his country could be such a coward!"





	The Cowardly Lion

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Jaime/Sansa so like go easy.

Jaime plopped into the armchair in the corner of the coffee shop. He huffed and tried rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. It had been a week since he returned from Afghanistan and he already wished he had never left. The first thing he did when he got off the plane was go see Cersei. He had hoped to surprise her, and he had. He also surprised Osmund Kettleback whom she had been riding like a bike. She hadn't even tried to apologize. He reached out to touch her and she flinched away, disgust flashing across her face at the sight of his stump. Something inside him broke. He left their apartment so fast he was surprised their weren't skid marks. Cersei didn't follow him.

He had gone over to Tyrion's to get properly pissed but the moment Shae got a look at him it was all over. She pulled him into a tight hug and he couldn't stop the tears from coming. "Shhh. She is an idiot, anyone would be lucky to have you. You are the lion of Lannister. The pride of your house. The only reason anyone even knows who she is, is because she married Robert Baratheon. And everyone knows if your father hadn't loaned him the money to save his business no would know him either. So don't cry over her, she isn't worth it."

"But I love her. I haven't seen her in nearly three years! I was a POW and the first thing I did was come find her and she didn't even care!" Jaime's voice broke as a new wave of tears threatened.

"Oh honey, I know. This won't hurt forever." Tyrion came home half an hour later to find his brother sobbing in his wife's arms. Tyrion just stared at Jaime for a long moment before sobbing himself.

"We thought you were dead!" Tyrion hugged Jaime close as they recounted what the other had missed over the last 3 years. When they both calmed down enough, Shae insisted they all get some sleep. Shae tucked Jaime into the guest bedroom and insisted he stay with them. Shae even dragged Tyrion and Bronn over to Cersei's the next morning to pick up his stuff. It really wasn't necessary, he didn't want anything she had touched. This had been the longest week of Jaime's life, and he had been a prisoner of war. He hadn't been able to sleep well since coming back. Visions of war and of Cersei haunted his sleep. He stopped at the coffee shop around the corner, hoping the caffeine would help him drown out some of the images from his nightmares.

"Alrighty. Quad shot extra foam whole milk latte with a dusting of cinnamon." A pretty barista with shinning copper hair called out his drink. She grinned at him brightly while handing him his mug.

"What is that?" Jaime squinted at the foam. "Is that a lion? The waitress beamed.

"You can tell?! I'm so happy! Usually people don't even glance at the foam art, let alone know what it is!" She did a happy little bounce.

"Why is it smiling?"

"It's a happy lion! You looked a little down so I wanted to cheer you up!"

"It's creepy."

"It's happy." Jaime chuckled and held up his metal hand in surrender.

"Okay, okay it's happy." Jaime smiled a small smile, barely a quirk of the lips but a smile nonetheless. "You know, my family sigil is a lion."

The baristas's eyes lit up. "See that coffee was meant for you!" She brushed back a hair that had fallen free from the braid going round her head and held out her hand. "I'm Sansa, Sansa Stark."

Jaime recoiled in shock. "Stark? You wouldn't happen to be related to Robb Stark, would you?" 

Sansa smiled tentatively and lowered her outstretched hand. "Umm yes? He's my older brother, how do you know him?"

"I had the pleasure of serving under him in the field, ma'am. He is a damn fine soldier."

A look of relief flashed over Sansa's face and her smile brightened once more. "It's always a pleasure to meet one of my brother's soldiers, or any service member for that matter. I'm sorry what was your name?"

"Sansa time for your break!" Margarey called from the back room before he could answer.

"Thanks Marge, be out in a minute!" Sansa turned to him expectantly.

"Oh. My apologies," Jaime set his coffee down and extended his left, and only, hand to her. "Jaime Lannister, at your service."  
It was Sansa's turn to recoil in shock. "Are you the Jaime Lannister dating Cersei Baratheon?!" Sansa practically shouted at him.

Jaime winced, the mention of her name still enough to make his chest tighten and eyes sting. "Yes, that's me. Was me. We aren't together anymore."

Sansa did that sympathetic little head tilt he hated. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay, it's over now. How do you-" Jaime gestured with his hand, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"Oh! I dated her oldest son during high school." Sansa toyed with that loose strand of hair again. Jaime had the strange urge to undo the crown braid and run his fingers through her hair. He also sometimes had the urge to drive into oncoming traffic, so he ignored it.

"And I'm sorry for that." He took a drink of his coffee feeling a little sad he couldn't treasure his creepy/happy lion for a little longer. "This is very good. Would you like to have a cup with me on your break?" He nodded at the coffee.

Sansa flushed a brilliant red. It reminded Jaime of Christmas lights. "I would love too."

They talked all through her break, and when there weren't customers Jaime would come up to the counter and they would talk some more. He came back the next day, and the next and the day after that. They exchanged number and the talked well into the night, every night. Her voice was the last thing her heard before he went to sleep, and she always woke up to a good morning text from him. His nightmares where never as bad when he heard her laugh before they said goodnight. They talked about everything. They talked about there favorite books, movies, hobbies. They talked about why Jaime feels like he doesn't deserve to be loved and his relationship with his father. They talked about how Sansa feels so alone without her family and how tough it was being an orphan. He knew all about how Jon and Robb were both at war, and Bran and Rickon were at boarding school. How her sister was in a dance school in France and how she had been the only one at the hospital when her parents died. She new all about Cersei's abuse and infidelity, how his brother was his best friend how he had first met Cersei in kindergarten and had loved her since. She even knew what posters decorated his childhood bedroom and how he used to jump from the cliffs into the ocean. Jaime felt like no one knew him better, not even Cersei.

It wasn't long before Jaime started walking Sansa home from her shifts every night. "A Lady shouldn't have to walk home alone in the dark." 

Sansa would laugh and say, "I'm not alone, I walk home with Margery. We live together."

"All the more reason," Jaime argued. "Two beautiful young women, walking six blocks alone in the middle of the city, at midnight? Can't have it." Sansa was surprised to see he actually meant it. Even on days she didn't work Margarey would come home around 12:15, Jaime in tow. When he showed up for the first time behind a blushing Margarey, Sansa couldn't help it. She had launched herself into Jaime's arms and kissed him so soundly he saw stars. Jaime came in for a drink, and they wound up talking all night long. Lady lay across their laps and Jaime talked about how much he missed Light-bringer, his own dog. When he lost his hand he left him with his platoon buddy, Bronn, while he recuperated. He missed him so badly it hurt.

Sansa's heart had never felt so full.


End file.
